Keeps On Giving
by NeverMessWithTeddyBears
Summary: Any annoyance Buck might have felt at having to get up from his now almost permanent residence on his living room couch to open the door at ten in the evening left his body as soon as he saw Eddie and Christopher in the hallway.


**Keeps On Giving**

* * *

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" Buck says and he tries to make it sound scolding, but it can only ever come off soft and loving when he's talking to Christopher. He loves that kid more than he thought possible, and the annoyance he felt at having to get up from his now almost permanent residence on his living room couch to open the door at ten in the evening left his body as soon as he saw Eddie and Christopher in the hallway.

"He, uh, didn't wanna go to bed." Eddie says and Buck turns to look at him, only now noticing that he's holding a pair of crutches; ones similar to those under Buck's armpits right now, holding him up and helping them move. He hates them, hates what they represent; the continuous reminder of that night. Memories of the bomb going off and his life changing in a second. Of being pinned under the firetruck and thinking _This is it, this is where it ends for me_. The hazy memories of all those people - complete strangers - lifting the fire truck _together_, saving his life and his leg. The reminder that he can't go do the one thing he's actually good at, the one thing he loves doing. Reminder of the fear that he might never be able to do that.

But he's looking at Eddie and Christopher standing in front of his door, and he's looking at the crutches Eddie is holding that are half the size of the ones he's using now, and he can't help but forget all that hatred and be filled with love. Because he thinks he knows what's happening.

"He didn't wanna sleep until he gave you these." Eddie lifts the crutches up and in front of Buck, and Buck nods, moving away to let them come in.

Christopher walks past first, walking slowly with one crutch to help him. Buck thinks about how, when he's looking at it, he doesn't feel the same way he does about his crutches. He looks at Christopher's and is grateful; grateful that they can help him walk, that he is walking so well, that his life is everything Christopher deserves - all dreams still attainable to him, still within his reach even with CP. He'll never say they inspire him - he feels so uncomfortable about finding people's conditions inspirational, and he's discussed it with Eddie and the team before when their calls would open up the topic - but they... No, _Christopher_, teaches him. Yeah, he thinks that's the right word.

"Those are my old crutches." Christopher says, his voice quiet but strong and it's obvious he's fighting sleep and exhaustion.

Eddie sets the crutches aside, leaning them on the wall by the door so they won't fall.

"I don't need them anymore." Christopher says, looking up at Buck. "I have new ones. But your leg hurts."

Buck looks away for a second, the words stinging even though he thought he was used to them. "Yeah, buddy. It hurts."

"My dad said those were the best ones." Christopher explains. "You need the best." it's a statement as if it's the truest, most obvious thing in the world: that Evan Buckley deserves the best. This, Buck thinks, is why he loves kids. They always see the absolute best of what others could be.

"He wants you to recover quickly." Eddie fills in when Christopher's exhaustion catches up to him and he starts slurring his words.

Buck is trying really hard not to cry, but he knows he's going to fail. So, he blinks away the tears as best he can, and balances himself as he puts out a hand to hug Christopher to him. "Thanks, buddy." he tells him and his voice almost breaks as Christopher hugs him back.

When they pull away, he looks at Eddie, and they share a soft smile. He'll tell Eddie later what this meant to him.

For now, though, he settles on: "You're off tomorrow morning, right?" Eddie nods. "You two should stay over, then." he offers. "It's late for you to be driving home. And at least someone should get some use out of my actual bed upstairs."

"And you could use someone to make you breakfast." Eddie adds, and Buck chuckles.

"Yeah." he shrugs. "That too."

Eddie picks up Christopher, and they settle in. Buck walks over to the crutches and touches them lightly, smiling.

Somehow, he thinks, he's gonna be okay.


End file.
